Rodgers' ex-coaches, fans celebrate Super Bowl MVP

CHICO — The crowd that had gathered at Butte College athletic director Craig Rigsbee's house didn't wait for the announcement. There was no need to. They knew.

When the Pittsburgh Steelers' fourth-down pass fell incomplete with 49 seconds left in the Super Bowl, the crowd started chanting, "M-V-P! M-V-P! M-V-P! M-V-P!" amid hugs, high-fives and perhaps a bit of astonishment.

They were right. Aaron Rodgers, the quarterback of the Green Bay Packers, the UC Berkeley Golden Bears, the Butte College Roadrunners, the Pleasant Valley High Vikings, and, first and foremost, Chico native was the Super Bowl's Most Valuable Player.

Crowds converged all around Chico to watch one of their own on one of the biggest stages possible, and there may not have been a more supportive gathering than the one at Rigsbee's house.

Rigsbee, the Butte football coach when Rodgers played in 2002; Sterling Jackson, the Pleasant Valley High football coach; Steve Henderson, Rodgers' personal strength and conditioning coach during Rodgers' playing days while at PV, Butte and offseasons while at Cal; they were among the 20-plus crowd that followed every play Sunday.

They cheered when Rodgers was shown before the game. They cheered every pass. They cheered every first down. They went wild for the touchdowns and especially when Rodgers did his sly championship-belt pose while officially being named the MVP. But mostly, they cheered for Rodgers, their quarterback.

And it couldn't have ended better for them.

"It gave me goose bumps," said Nelson Fishback, a Durham High senior and friend of Jordan Rigsbee, Craig's younger son. "It makes you feel like we won the Super Bowl. It feels like Chico won."

Fishback, a quarterback who helped lead Durham to its first Northern Section title this season, found inspiration in Rodgers.

"It makes you want to start working out right now to get better," he said.

That's something those there know all too well about Rodgers.

"This is a culmination of a lot of hard work from him. He didn't just come out of nowhere," Craig Rigsbee said.

Pleasant Valley athletic director Pam Jackson echoed that sentiment, "It tells you how much hard work can pay off."

And the MVP feat wasn't lost as well.

"Hey, you coached the Super Bowl MVP. How does it feel?" Rick Cross asked of Sterling Jackson.

"Like I need to go to Disneyland," Jackson joked with a prideful smile, the kind that was seen all around the room.

Rigsbee, waiting for the phone call Sports Illustrated promised to make if the game ended the way it did — with the Green Bay Packers on top — didn't hesitate to say what Sunday's performance did for Rodgers.

"He's at the top of his game," Rigsbee said. "He's the number one player in the NFL right now. He's the Super Bowl MVP."